


Ashes to Ashes (Dust to Dust)

by SleeplesslyInsane



Series: Ashes to Ashes [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: A Really Happy Ending Though, Angst, But He Isn't Bad Either, But I wouldn't Mean It, Def Not Sorry, Don't Test Me, I'd Apologize, Imma Just Go Ahead And Add This Angst Tag, It’s Not Stiles, I’m so sorry, Kira Is Not In This One, Like, M/M, Multi, Neither is Malia, Not that that makes it better, Okay Maybe a Little Sorry, Peter Is Not Good, Post Nogitsune, Some angst, Sorry Not Sorry, Stiles Needs a Hug, Still A Really Happy Ending Though, Still not sorry, There is rape, We Don't Like Scott McCall Around These Parts, We Seriously Hate Him, We love him, lots of tags, or Cora, peter needs a hug too, trigger warning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-31
Updated: 2019-06-15
Packaged: 2019-10-19 18:20:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 11
Words: 13,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17606510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SleeplesslyInsane/pseuds/SleeplesslyInsane
Summary: You never really know how much you need something until you don't have it anymore. And Stiles didn't know how much he needed Peter until he was gone. Maybe it was because he was the only person who could match his quick wit. Maybe it was because he didn't take anyone's shit. Maybe it was because he knew who he was and wasn't afraid to show it.Or maybe it was because he was the only one who treated Stiles like a real person.And that's hard to come by these days.But happy endings don’t come easy. And there are some people out there who refuse to see either of them happy.So what will their happiness cost them?





	1. Chapter 1

He can't pinpoint exactly when it started. Maybe it was after he killed all those people in the police station. Maybe it was after he'd almost killed Allison. Maybe it didn't really have a start date. All Stiles knows is that Scott hates him. And, because of this, the rest of the pack now hates him too. Every time he comes to a pack meeting, if he's even notified of it, he is completely ignored. No one speaks to him anymore.

He didn't even realize how much he loved scenting until no one would even touch him anymore. After the Nogitsune, none of the pack would come near him. They avoided him like the plague. Sometimes, he felt like he deserved it. Like they were avoiding him for a good reason and he couldn't possibly be angry with them for protecting themselves from him. Hell, he'd protect himself from him if he could.

********

"You're not pack Stiles. We don't think you should come to the meetings anymore. You make everyone uncomfortable and we're tired of not wanting to hurt your feelings. Stop coming around. Stop talking to us. Just leave us alone. Don't you think you've done enough?"

The words that came out of his best friend's mouth continued to ring through Stiles' head even though the pack meeting was hours ago. He thought that everything was okay. He thought that they just had to get used to him again. He thought that everything would be fine if he just gave them a little break. So when Lydia sent him the text to tell him about the pack meeting that evening at seven, he was there at 6:45, just so there was no chance of him possibly missing out on anything.

Boy was that a mistake.

It was like an ambush. Everyone was there. Derek. Isaac. Lydia. Allison. Erica. Boyd.

Scott.

He didn't think they hated him that much. To leave him all alone to fend for himself in a world that was out to get him. A world that was entirely unforgiving. A world where the new monster of the week would probably kill him in seconds since he no longer had anyone to come to his rescue. His father was never home and, even if he were, he would never protect Stiles. Not anymore. Not after having to cover up so much evidence. Having to see so many videos of his own son cutting through people like butter, not having a care in the world about whether or not those people had families at home wondering if they were okay.

He knew that that wasn't really his son. He knew that it was something wearing his son's face. He knew that Stiles already hated himself enough without his own father hating him too. But he just couldn't get over it. Not when he still saw that look on Stiles's face sometimes when no one else was looking. No matter how badly he wanted it to be Stiles, that thing was not his son. Not anymore.

So he threw himself into his work. He slept in his office. He ate out. The last time he was home was before Stiles was even possessed. He couldn't stand to look at his face anymore. 

This means that he wasn't there on the nights that Stiles took razor blades to his wrist in the shower, turning the water crimson with his blood as it ran down the drain. He wasn't there to see Stiles clean up all the blood on the off chance of his father coming home and seeing the stained tiles and thinking he'd committed another murder

Humming to the tune to Sia's Breathe Me, he got the bleach and the scrubbing brush and got to cleaning.

Help  
I've done it again  
I have been here many times before  
Hurt myself again today  
And the worst part is  
There's no one else to blame  
Be my friend  
Hold me  
Wrap me up  
Unfold me  
I am small  
And needy  
Warm me up  
And breathe me

********

Peter missed Stiles. All the rest of that God forsaken pack could get murdered for all he cared. But that little smart mouthed brat with the whiskey colored eyes and constellations painted on his skin?

Peter missed him like a limb. It felt like a part of him was missing. He didn't even realize how much he had needed him in order to stay sane until he had been chased out of Beacon Hills and didn't even get a chance to say goodbye to him. And now he's here in New York with no one.

There were a few times where he almost reached for the phone and dialed his number. Times where the phone had been ringing before he hung up the phone, not giving the boy a chance to speak. Just to hear his boy's voice. Just once.

But Stiles deserved better than him. He didn't need someone like Peter in his life. Someone with questionable morals. Who saw the world in shades of grey and not the black and white colors of everyone else. Who had so much blood on his hands that he should be buried under the prison and not just thrown into it. 

That was the way that he thought until he was doing a routine check in call with Derek. Sure, he couldn't stand his nephew. But he was all the family that he had left. He couldn't just sit aside and not check and see how he was doing. If you were to ask him, he would say that he brought up Stiles completely by accident. You know, after he ripped your throat out with his teeth for you having the audacity to actually speak to him. But he knows that it was no accident. He needed to check on his boy.

"I couldn't care less about him, Peter. He's not even in the pack anymore. No one speaks his name around here. Especially not Scott. What he did can't be forgiven. You know that."

The phone was crushed in his hand before his dear nephew could finish speaking to him. Without pausing, he pulled his back up phone from his pocket and booked a ticket to California. Then he began to pack his things.

He had to go and get his boy.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank everyone for the encouraging comments! Don't hesitate to leave more! I would really appreciate it! I've also decided to have songs to go with the chapters. I don't expect you all to listen to them. They're just the songs that I had playing on repeat while writing them so that I could really put some emotion into them. The song of this one is the acoustic version of Where's My Love by Syml. Or the piano version which is great also! Happy reading!

The flight from New York to Los Angeles and then the drive down to Beacon Hills was not the longest trip that Peter has ever taken. He had back packed through Europe, vacationed in Russia and Japan. He speaks thirty seven languages, for crying out loud. I would be a shame to waste all of them. He's even gone to South Korea.

But flying across the country to rescue a boy that he didn't know that he loved until he left him seemed like it took an eternity. He spent said eternity wondering if his boy were still alive. If he even wanted Peter the way that Peter wanted him. He wasn't used to feeling so unsure of himself. He always knew that the person that he wanted wanted him back just as much. If not, more. Hell, they always wanted him first. But with Stiles? Peter never knew what he was feeling unless he wanted him to. And for some reason, he loved that about him. He was always a mystery that Peter loved to solve.

Maybe this is why he skipped out on letting the pack know that he was there. They were the ones who ran him out of town. They deserved to know of his presence about as much as they deserved Stiles. That was not at all.

Pulling up to the Stilinski house, he noticed a smell of misery and an aura of gloom. He wondered if it had always had the smell of blood hovering over it like a macabre sort of halo. 

He didn't bother knocking on the door before he just twisted the knob. stiles had warded this house to hell and back. He had always said that if something was big and bad enough to get through his wards then there was really nothing any of them could do but to lay down and die. 

The smell of blood and bleach was so strong, Peter had to restrain himself from putting his hand over his nose. Never before had he smelled such complete and utter despair. His eyes widened when he realized he could barely hear a heartbeat in the house. it was winter break from the high school and he knew for a fact that Stiles spent said breaks cooped up in his room doing research for the pack. Even when they didn't want him around, he couldn't just sit back and let them get killed, no matter how much Peter advised him to.

Sometimes he admired it. Other times he wanted to put him through a fucking wall.

Rushing up the stairs, the bedroom was the first room that he checked. Not finding him in there, he rushed to the bathroom where the smell was strongest. There he found him. laying on the floor with an empty bottle of whiskey on one side of him and an empty bottle of pills on the other. The shower was running and there was blood pouring from open gashes on his wrists. Blood surrounded his body in a pool, his face was pale and lifeless. His heartbeat was getting slower and slower until Peter could barely hear it, even standing right next to him.

Letting out an anguished cry, he fell to his knees, not caring that the knees of his thousand dollar jeans were getting saturated in the crimson liquid. All he cared about was the fact that his mate was currently bleeding out in front of him and there was nothing that he could do to stop it.

Or was there?

His eyes flashed to match the color of the blood on the floor before his canines elongated and he bit into the side of his boy's neck. He poured all of his love into that bite. All his despair. All his anger and hatred for the people that brought him to this point. he put his everything into it taking because he didn't think he could live with himself if he became the reason for Stiles' death.

Tears began pouring down the side of his face and mixed with the blood on the floor. He's done all that he can. Now the only thing he's able to do is wait for his mate to take a breath and let him know he's alive.

He lets out a relieved breath when he hears his heartbeat grow stronger and the cuts on his wrists start to slowly knit closed.

He made it.

********

Stiles sat up with a gasp before he looked around at the familiar surroundings of his bedroom. He sighed in defeat at the fact that it didn't work. Again. He couldn't even kill himself right. He's a fucking disappointment to everyone, especially to him. At least, that was what he was thinking until he looked in the corner of the room and saw blood red eyes staring back at him.

"Derek? What are you doing here? I thought you said you guys didn't want anything to do with me?"

A growl came from the throat of the owner of those eyes before they stepped out of the shadows and Stiles saw that it was not Derek. it was Peter. His heart skipped a beat as he looked into the Alpha eyes of the man that he loved. The man that he thought he would never see again.

"I would prefer it if you never spoke that fucking name around me again. After what they did to you? After the point that they brought you to? I can't believe I'm not over there killing them all right fucking now. They can all go to hell. I actually came here, dear boy, to ask you to come back to New York with me. After all, a new wolf needs a pack. And I would be honored if that new pack consisted of me."

Now that Peter mentioned it, Stiles realized he coould hear the heartbeat of the other wolf in his room. He could also smell that Peter was very nervous. Did he think that Stiles would reject his offer? After all that he went through here, he was jumping at the chance to leave it all behind. He didn't even want to say goodbye to anyone. He just nodded in silence, however. He didn't know how Peter felt about him and he didn't want to ruin this chance he just got at a better life away from this hell that he's been living in for the last few months.

Stiles looked down at the scars that littered his arms from wrist to elbow. A few tears fell when he realized that they were still there. He thought that when he became a wolf, all of his scars would disappear and he wouldn't have to look at them anymore. He thought that he wouldn't have to remember how far at the bottom he had gotten.

"Hey Stiles. Don't do that," Peter said softly, putting a hand on his face and tilting it up to meet his eyes. "Those are signs of survival. They are battle scars. For every time you had to fend for yourself. Every time you were on the edge of the cliff but didn't take the jump. It's okay to feel weak sometimes. It's okay to break when you need it. but you didn't shatter. You came out of it a little bruised. A little batterd. A little chipped. But you're not beyond repair. We all feel that sometimes. You can ask for help. I will not judge you for being strong enough for that."

Tears fell down both of their faces before Stiles threw his arms around Peter's neck and buried his face in his throat. "Take me away from here. Please."

"As you wish, my love," he said, caressing Stiles' back. "As you wish."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I wrote this chapter at my dining room table while eating chicken soup because I feel like shit. So if it's not my best work, I promise that I will edit it as soon as I feel better. I just didn't want to leave you guys hanging. See you tomorrow! Don't forget to comment!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Helloo! Thanks for all the comments! I tried to respond to most of them! I hope You all love this chapter. Song of the chapter is War by Syml. And I promise not every song will be by Syml. Enjoy!

It didn't take Stiles long to pack everything that he wanted to take with him to New York. He said that he didn't want any reminders of his life there, so the only things he packed were a few shirts, some jeans, a pair of shoes, and a beanie. All from before the Nogitsune. Before the pack hated everything about him and would rather see him dead than back in the loft.

He also packed the last picture that he had of himself with his mother and a quilt that she had knitted for him before her mind lost her. "I don't want to forget what it was like to have someone who loves me. Even though she was crazy at the end, I knew that she hated herself deep down for the way that she was treating me. And I know that she's watching down on me today making sure that I am safe and happy. Because she sent me you. If you hadn't been there today, I would be dead now. And I know that I have a new guardian angel."

Peter dropped the backpack that he was holding and walked over to where Stiles was sitting on the bed, looking out at the forest behind his house. "Darling, you already know what it's like to have someone who loves you. Because I do. And when we get out of here, I am going to show you exactly what that is like. I am going to show you exactly what that means."

"Pinkie promise?" Stiles asks with a tiny smile on his face.

"Pinkie promise."

Before they can leave, the window across from them opens and Erice comes inside, Boyd not far behind her. They both stare at Peter in shock for a few seconds before they shake their heads in resignation and look at Stiles, pleading with him to hear them out.

"We promise you, we did not want to to kick you out of the pack. We haven't forgotten all that you've done for us. How much you went through to get us away fromGerard and to safety. We know that we haven't been the best friends to you. And we've been spending these last few months trying to remind Derek and Scott and the rest of them that the Nogitsune was not you. We tried, but they've refused to listen. So we came here hoping to convince you to run away with us. But we see that Peter got here first. Now we just want to know if we can come with you. We're willing to join your pack, do whatever it takes. But we can't be here anymore and just watch as they mistreat you. We won't."

Peter stands, mouth agape at the fact that the girl somehow managed to get all of that out in a single breath. Boyd stood behind here, stable and silent as ever, as a show of both support and agreement. "Well, darling, it is ultimately up to you. I will neither accept nor reject their apology and offer without knowing whether or not you will first. You make all the decicions here."

Stiles, still silent, tightens his hand in Peter's where he slid it the moment his window openes. Peter is his security. His rock. "I... I can't promise that I will forgive you. And I don't know that your apology is sincere. I don't know if you're here as some kind of sick prank or if you really mean all of that you said. I feel like you're just here to make sure I don't leave and get away from this constant state of agony that I've been living with for two fucking years. Because you guys had bee pushing me out before the Nogitsune and you both know it. I don't know if I can ever trust you again."

The heartbroken looks on both of their faces after they hear Stiles' decision convinced Peter enough to believe that they were telling the truth. and, while he's a mean son of a bitch, he's not completely heartless. Because of this, he leans down to whisper into his dear boy's ear, low enough to where the other two wolves can't hear, but not so low that Stiles himself would have a hard time knowing what he's saying. "You can't trust them. Not right now. But trust your ear. Listen again. Listen to their heartbeats. If they don't skip, they're telling you the truth."

Stiles nods in resignation and listenes as their hearts remain steady. They look at him, not wanting to hope but they can't help the little glimmer of it in their eyes. "I still don't know whether or not to really trust you. I don't know what to think right now. But I'm willing to try. And I'm willing to let you come with us. But If you try anything, and I do mean anything, I will not hesitate to rip your heart out so fast, you'll have time to watch it beat in my bloody fist before you die." His eyes flash bright purple and the other wolves bow their heads in submission.

Peter can't help the little smirk that comes to his face at hearing his boy say that. He's always known that he would make an amazing wolf.

 

********

Stiles doesn't know what came over him. He just knew that if anything were to happen to him, it would destroy Peter. And, for some reason, it would kill him to hurt Peter. The one person in this world that he knew he could trust. The one person that he would never hurt for anything. 

After his acceptance, Erica and Boyd smile at him so bright, he's not sure how he didn't go blind.

"We promise you, you won't regret this. We will be your loyal betas. You can trust us."

Stiles shrugs, not quite believing them. Not yet.

"Well, dear boy, we must get going before someone comes looking for these two and realize that I'm here. That would make this infinitely more complicated and that is something we don't need."

Everyone begins to run around, gathering last minute things and throwing them into the backpack that Peter has at his feet. Stiles, not wanting his father to come home and see him gone and think he's gone on another killing spree. He has no love for his father, not anymore. But he doesn't want to give him another reason to hate him.

Dad,  
I don't know if you're even going to see this, considering the fact that you haven't been home is a while.  
I also don't care. I just wanted you to know that I'm leaving. And I'm probably not coming back. Don't look  
for me. Don't call me. Don't text me. Don't try to write me letters. I will not answer you. I want you to know  
that you're a terrible father. When I needed you, you weren't there. When I was laying on the bathroom  
floor, covered in my own blood, I couldn't count on you to be there to call an ambulance. It shouldn't be so  
easy for your son to kill himself. You probably won't care. You probably won't even get this note. But I  
wanted to say goodbye anyway.  
Your son?  
~Stiles

"Okay, love. Let's get out of this place." Peter wraps his hand around Stiles' and the walk out of the house that Stiles had been living in for as long as he could remember. Looking back at it, he can't remember it ever looking so dark and gloomy.

Turning back to Peter's questioning look, he gives him a bright smile. "Let's get out of here."

They never look back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise this is not the end. There will definitely be lots of smut and lots of pettiness when it comes to the pack. And there are a bunch of loose ends to tie up. And Peter still needs to kick Scott's ass. So this may seem like the end but there is still a long way to go! Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you thank you thank you for all the comments and kudos and love! I really appreciate it! The song of the chapter is Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd. Enjoy!

Scott hates Stiles Stilinski. He hated the way he talks. He hated the way he walks. He hates his morals. He just hates everything about him. He doesn't know when it started, or why he hates him as much as he does. All he knows is that he can't look at his face without wanting to punch it in. Never before had he wanted to kill someone as much as he wants to kill one Stiles Stilinski. And now, with Erica and Boyd gone and no one else speaking to him, he has to get to the bottom of this. Because the reason people hate him right now is Stiles. And he'll be damned before he lets a murderer run his life.

Walking up to the front door, he pounds on it hard enough to crack the wood. After getting no answer, he gets the spare key from under the welcome mat and unlocks the door. For someone so smart, Stiles had always hidden the key in such an obvious and cliché spot.

He walks into the house and is immediately hit with the smell of dried blood and tears. Instead of worry about if something happened to a man that he used to call a brother, he wonders if Stiles has killed someone else and tortured them first. he walks up the stairs and to the bathroom where the smell is strongest and finds nothing but a room that has obviously been scrubbed down with a gallon of bleach a few days ago. The smell is old, but it isn't that old.

The one thing missing from this scenario is Stiles.

Still searching for him, he goes to Stiles' room next. There, he finds a note on his bed addressed to his father letting him know that Stiles is leaving and never coming back. This is when Scott gets hurt.

Why would his best friend leave and not tell him? Why would he just go without saying goodbye? And why does his room smell like Erica and Boyd?

And Peter?

His eyes flash red and his fangs drop when he reaches the most obvious conclusion. They'd been kidnapped by Peter. He had attacked Stiles in the bathroom and mortally wounded him so that Stiles could not defend himself. And, while Stiles was incapacitated, Erica and Boyd showed up to talk to him. They had seen what Peter had done and tried to stop him. He hurt them to in order to keep them from ruining his plans with the boy. He decided to take them with him to keep an eye on them and to keep them from alerting the authorities.

It's the only theory that makes sense.

With a growl, Scott pockets the note and runs off to alert the pack. They had a best friend to find.

 

********

Derek had always loved his uncle. Even after Peter had killed Laura and took her Alpha power for himself and left Derek behind with no one, his mind would always go back to when Peter was bouncing him on his knee and telling him the right way to kill a man and properly dispose of the body. The way Peter would always smile at his wife and rub her belly while his other two children ran around their feet, almost tripping them up. How he never got mad at the children and he would never yell. "Children are our future, dear nephew. They are the people who decide what happens to us. How we will be remembered. But right now, they are still children. We have to let them be children. Make mistakes. Yelling at them and hurting their feelings will help nothing."

No matter what happened, no matter how bad he felt, he could always count on his uncle Peter to speak to him like he was smart. To not treat him like a child. And if his uncle Peter wanted to take Stiles away from Beacon Hills, who was he to stop him? Who was he to decide what happened to the boy? He didn't hate him. He hated what happened to him and how trouble always seemed to find him. So the farther away the boy was from him, the better for them both.

He just hoped they got everything they were hoping for. He hoped they both got everything they deserved.

Before he could keep going with that train of thought, Scott slams into the loft and starts to yell at everyone to start packing because they had to track down Stiles. How Peter had kidnapped him as well as Erica and Boyd. Isaac jumps up and runs around the loft to get everything together with no questions asked. Meanwhile, everyone else just stares at him in silence, not saying a single word. They've gone along with everything he's said for too long and Stiles has paid for it with blood and tears. They're not doing it anymore. They refuse to get in the way of his happiness anymore. As long as he's not around Scott, as long as he's happy, they're not moving a single muscle.

"Why are all of you sitting on your asses? I gave you an order! I'm your alpha! Listen to me and get packing!"

Lydia and Allison look at him in silence from their place cuddled together on the couch. "I'm not moving from this spot, oh alpha my alpha. If you want to go after him and keep ruining his life and throwing him into a depression, that's up to you. As far as I'm concerned, he's away from Beacon Hills. Just like you wanted. Chill out."

Scott flashes his eyes at everyone and drops his fangs. "Get up. Get packing. Listen to your alpha. And do as I say. NOW!"

Lydia rolls her eyes before she gets up from the couch and marches off to her bedroom. Derek can tell she doesn't agree with what Scott wants them to do. But she, like the rest of them, can't resist the order of an Alpha. Not even Derek, as an alpha himself, can resist a true alpha. especially with as corrupted as the Hale alpha spark is.

With a sigh of resignation, he gets up to begin packing woth everyone else. He hopes his uncle got to wherever he was going. Because Scott will not stop until he finds Stiles. No matter how much everyone just wants to leave them be.

He honestly can't wait to see Peter rip out Scott's throat when he tries to take his mate away from him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here you get a glimpse of how the pack really feels about Stiles. I hope you enjoyed. Till next time, comment!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey hey hey! Song of the chapter is Heal by Tom Odell. Enjoy and don't forget to comment!

Stiles couldn't sleep. Not when he was finally getting out of Beacon Hills. Not when he was so scared that this was all actually just a dream and he was going to wake up on his bathroom floor and have to get the bleach and scrub the blood from it before school yet again.

He kept pinching himself to be sure he wasn't dreaming, and yet he still didn't believe it.

"You've got to stop pinching yourself, darling. You're gonna bruise your perfect skin."

He can't help the blush that burns his face. Peter's been telling him the same thing for the last two hours. He listened at first, but then the flight attendant smiled at him and asked him if he needed help with anything. That's the first time anyone other than Peter has been nice to him in the last six months. He had to make sure again, even though he had done it thirty minutes ago when they sat down in their seats and prepared for takeoff.

Erica and Boyd fell asleep the second they sat down, cuddled together and snoring like bears. At least, Boyd was. For someone so silent and brooding, he was a very loud sleeper.

"You know, the Nogitsune left me a little present. Something to remember him by, he said." Stiles lifts his sleeve from his wrist to show the small black fox lounging on one of his deeper scars as if it were a bed. The fox lifts it's head and blinks at them both before getting up, turning it's back on them, and going back to sleep. Peter looks at him, mouth agape, before he shakes it off and runs his fingertips over the animal. It shivers and looks at him again before it nips his finger and goes back to sleep. He draws back in shock.

"I woke up the day after the Nogitsune was gone to find him sitting on my chest, staring at me. He melted into my skin and became something like a tattoo that moves around and has a mind of his own. He can come off and change his size in order to protect me. The Nogitsune said he would be coming back for me. That he wasn't gone for good. I guess he wanted to be sure his host was in good shape for when he decided to return. Sometimes he's a full body tattoo. Sometimes he's a tiny little thing behind my ear."

Peter stays silent for the entire explanation before he strokes the fox again, a look of curiosity on his face. The fox stretches his body and turns onto his back, giving Peter access to his belly. "I guess he likes you. I named him Nyx. I though that after you gave me the bite, he would go away. Disappear. I guess I was wrong. I don't know whether to be happy or sad about it. I would miss him if he was gone. He's been like my only friend. But the fact that he's still here means the Nogitsune is still out there and he still wants me. I don't know how I'm going to stop him."

"Darling boy, I promise you that I will not let that monster touch a single hair on you head. Even if I have to protect you with my dying breath, I will keep you safe. As long as I'm alive, you will be too."

A single tear trails down Stiles' face before he lays his head down on Peter's chest. He's asleep before he even takes his next breath.

 

********

Peter doesn't know what to think about anything anymore. He thought that they'd gotten rid of the Nogitsune for good. Sacrificed it to the Nemeton and banished it from their lives forever. So then why was Stiles saying that it was coming back? And where did the fox on his skin come from?

Looks like he needs to do some research and call in a few favors.

Before he can continue with that train of thought, Stiles stirs from his place on his chest. He runs his fingers through his hair and he settles back down. Peter lets out a short little chuckle. His boy was more like a cat than a wolf.

"You know, this is the most calm I think I've seen him since Scott started making us shun him. None of us ever touched him. We stayed away from him like we were ordered. But Scott liked to torment him. He liked to scare him and make him think that things could turn physical at any moment. He called it reassurance that Stiles wouldn't go on a murder spree. We called it his sick little game of torture. We have no idea what happened to him. He used to be such a nice person. That was why Boyd and I even joined his pack in the first place. We don't know what's come over him, but we decided that we wouldn't be a part of it anymore. And we wouldn't allow Stiles to be either."

"I don't care what's come over him. He hurt my mate. This means he has to die. Maybe I would have given him another chance. Let him live and just move to another country. But he put Stiles through hell. And that can't be forgiven." Peter takes another look at the boy using his body as a pillow. A small smile upon his face as he snuggled impossibly closer.

"Mate?" Erica's voice breaks him from his thoughts.

"Do you honestly think I would come across the country for someone that I didn't truly care for? I was going to tell him, but you god forsaken pack ran me from town before I had the chance. I wanted to give him a choice. I didn't want to force him to come with me just because he was my anchor. Sure, I was going crazy without him. Less and less sane by the day. But I would rather be out of my mind again than to have him suffer and be with me out of some sense of obligation. When I found out the way he was being treated back in Beacon Hills, I was on the first plane out of New York."

"So you love him then?" Sometime during their discussion, Boyd had awaken from his slumber. He should've known, really. What with the absence of the plane shaking snores coming from him.

"I do. I didn't think I could love anyone after the deaths of my wife and children in the fire. But now? What I feel for him makes a mockery of what I felt for my wife. I still love her. I don't think I will ever stop loving her. She was an amazing woman. But for Stiles? If I had to choose, I would pick him over her any day."

He takes another look at Stiles. His heart feels like it wants to jump from his chest. He runs his fingers through his hair again and Stiles sighs. His face gets even more relaxed and a small snore begins to emerge from him. Peter has never in his life used the word adorable. But the boy on top of him was truly adorable.

"I hope you really mean that, Peter. He needs someone to love him the way he deserves. And I hope you tell him soon. He shouldn't be alone. And, not that it matters, we approve. We know that you'll be very good to him. Treat him like a prince and always let him know that he has someone who loves him and supports him no matter what. It's been too long since he's had something like that."

Peter just nods his head. He'd already been planning on it. He'd bought a house the minute he moved to New York with the plan of moving into it with his boy and starting a pack with his new status as an aplha. While this may not have been the way he was planning, he wouldn't change it for the world. Because now he has his boy and people that will also protect him with their dying breath.

Now he just needs to let Stiles know how he's feeling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah I threw a curveball at you with the fox tattoo. I like the idea of it. Are you guys actually listening to the songs of the chapter? I personally feel like they make the chapters better, but if you don't like them I could just leave them out. Comment! I love getting those! I promise you it won't bother me! Even if you just say that you liked the chapter! I appreciate any and all comments! They make my day! Until next time!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the long wait you guys. I had a serious case of writer's block and it was no joke. I'll try to do better. Anyway, enjoy!

No one was more confused about Scott suddenly caring about what happened to Stiles than Lydia. She grew up with them both. Even though she had just recently become friends with them, she had been watching them for years. She was there on the playground when they became friends. She was there through all of the pain that Stiles went through on behalf of Scott. Defending him from bullies and making sure he was okay before he ever checked on himself. When Scott got the bite, Stiles was there doing research and trying to find out anything that he could about the sudden change taking place in his friend. 

Now that she thought about it, Scott never deserved Stiles. He never deserved his loyalty and devotion. Scott was kind of a terrible person.

"Now, we don't know where they went. We don't know where Peter lives. We do know that they couldn't have gone far. We all know Peter can't afford a plane ticket, let alone four. Meaning they had to have gone by car. And they've only had about five hours. I'm guessing they would have gone somewhere like Oregon because Peter is a wolf and wolves need trees and shit to run through because they're wild animals. So we're going to start driving. And we're not stopping until we find Stiles and Peter is dead."

Lydia knew with all her heart that there was no way in hell they'd gone to Oregon. She may not have been best friends with Peter, but she had always admired him for his intellect. She knew that he wasn't in Oregon because that was the first place someone would look. If anything, he would have gone to New York. Anyone would assume that, with him being a wolf, he would hate the loud noises and the constantly being surrounded by people and the not having anywhere to run around. She knew that that was probably where they were all headed. Because, while she was used to being the smartest person in the room, she knew that Peter could give her a run for her money if he really tried.

Now was she going to tell Scott?

Hell no.

See, the way she saw it, they had all put Stiles and Peter through enough. They had dealt with being constantly ignored unless they wanted something. They dealt with always being left out of anything pack related. They dealt with the fact that they would never be accepted into the pack. Not fully. And not because of something that was their fault. No. They weren't welcome because of something that they couldn't even control. 

If there was anything that she could do to help them get the peace that they truly deserved, even if it was just for a few days, she was going to do it. She at least owed them that.

Now to keep Scott distracted long enough to buy them time to really get away.

 

********

The plane had landed about an hour ago and they were all on their way to baggage claim so that they could for all of their luggage to come around the conveyor belt. None of them had spoken at all since the conversation that they had had while Stiles was asleep. He and Peter were currently walking hand in hand in front of Erica and Boyd while talking so quietly, no one could hear them, not even the other wolves.

"I just wanted to thank you for getting me out of there. You didn't have to save me, and yet you dropped everything to come and get me. You are my hero, Peter, and I don't know how to repay you. Thank you. So much."

Peter turned toward his boy and brushed the overgrown hair from in front of his eyes. For some reason, he really liked the look for him. "No. I didn't have to save you. But I like you, Stiles. And I want you to know that, no matter what, I will always drop anything to get to you if you're ever in trouble. You deserve to finally have someone who loves you and treats you the way that you deserve to be treated. I want to be that person."

Stiles looks up into his face, silently hoping that he wasn't reading the moment wrong. He slowly stood on his toes, bringing his lips closer to Peter's. He waited, wanting to be sure that he was giving Peter an out in case he didn't want to kiss Stiles. But he should never have doubted because Peter wrapped his hands around his waist and brought them closer together.

When their lips met, anyone witnessing would not hesitate to say that they saw fireworks. At least, that's what it felt like. There was a heat that surrounded them and everyone within a ten foot radius could feel it. It was like everything in the universe suddenly fell into place.

When they parted, there was nothing but silence to be heard. Then, Erica had to be herself and open her mouth.

"Well it's about damn time. You could have cut the sexual tension with a chainsaw. And maybe don't be that hot when you make out. It's completely unfair to me since Boyd refuses to let me ask Stiles for a threesome, even though we now know what we're missing. And how about we get our bags and go see this ginormous house that I'm sure Peter has? I'm ready for a fucking nap."

With those words spoken, the people that formed a ring around the group finally dispersed. For some reason, Erica's comment did the opposite of ruin the moment. In fact, it made them feel closer as a pack. To have a member be so comfortable and confident in their alpha that they don't feel the need to have to hold their tongue in front of him. 

They were finally starting to feel like a family.

 

********

Scott was very frustrated. Who knows what kind of weird, fucked up things Peter was doing to Stiles. He could be torturing him at this very moment and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it because he had no clue where the hell he was taken. His best friend was missing and it was all Peter's fault.

For some odd reason, the only one in the pack still speaking to him was Isaac. Everyone else was giving him the silent treatment or avoiding him at all costs. He had no clue what he even did to earn this treatment.

"Scott, maybe we should stop. It's been over a day. If we haven't found them by now, we're not going to find them. Let's just give up. We all look like shit and feel like it too. Hey, maybe Stiles is dead. At least then we wouldn't have to deal with him and his homicidal tendencies anymore. Or his holier than thou attitude. Maybe we're better off without him. It's not like we talked to him anyway. We weren't even friends."

Scott growled at Isaac's words. Even if they weren't friends anymore, that was still his brother and he would protect him from anything, even a murderer like Peter. 

Especially a murderer like Peter. 

No matter what it cost him.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so so so sorry for the long wait for an update. There’s been a lot going on in my life and I’ve gotten busy. It won’t happen again. Pinkie promise

Not even Scott really knows why he’s so eager to find Stiles. Why he’s so adamant about Peter having kidnapped him against his will. He knows that he doesn’t want Stiles to be happy after what he did. After all those people he killed. But chasing him around the country? Turning over every rock he can and asking around everywhere? That’s all for some unknown reason. Because that is all out of hate and he knows that he doesn’t hate his brother.

Right?

“Scott. Buddy. Maybe it would be best if we just let him go. I mean, he’s not our problem anymore anyway, right? He’s Peter’s problem now. Can we just go home and let him go?”

No one was prepared for the earthshaking growl that came from Scott’s throat at Isaac’s questioning. Especially since Isaac has been the only person able to calm Scott down when he got in one of his moods. He was the only one able to talk him into going to sleep instead of searching day and night for someone who doesn’t want to be found. So for Scott to snarl at him like that?

He’s a completely different person. They don’t know who he is anymore. 

“Isaac there is no way in hell I would ever allow a monster like that to wander the streets feeling secure. No way I could leave Erica and Boyd with him. No way I would let him go after everything he did. He deserves to suffer for murdering all those innocent people. And I’m the one who is going to make him.”

The entire time he was speaking to Isaac, he got closer and closer to the other boy. By the end of his speech, he was standing over him and Isaac was now cowering on the floor. Because, even though he was now a wolf and had the strength to protect himself, he was still that little boy that got locked in a freezer when he misbehaved. He was still that little boy wanting his father’s approval so badly that he was willing to overlook the abuse he suffered through if it meant that his father was happy. 

“Scott stop he gets it. Just back away dude. He gets it.” Derek steps in between the two. For some reason, he’s always the mediator. Always the one to stop any problems from arising. Honestly, he’s a little sick of it. Actually, he’s really sick of it. “How about we all just sleep this off. He’s no closer to us now than he was five minutes ago. We can all just go to sleep and keep searching in the morning.”

Scott looks over the group of his Betas as if they all disgust him. “You know what? All of you can go home. If you’re not with me then you’re against me. And I refuse to sit here and try and feel safe with my enemies at my back. I’ll give you a five minute head start. If I ever see you again, I’ll kill you too. You can suffer right next to Stiles.”

He turns away from them all and hears them climb into the car and leave him behind. His lips curve into a menacing smirk because he’s finally dropped the dead weight.

Now he has a brother to catch. 

 

********

When they all pulled up to the house, no one spoke a single word. The place looked like it belonged in a woodsy area. Somewhere like Oregon or Wyoming. So how in the hell did Peter find a house like this in the middle of New York? Especially with the amount of forest around it. It looked like the woods stretched out for miles. 

“I know a witch,” he says, answering their unspoken question. “The house is actually somewhere in Washington. I got her to cut a small hole in between dimensions so that I could have the comfort of a home in the forest and the convenience of New York City. The only people who can see it are people I want to see it. To others, it’s just another apartment building.”

“And how good did you have to fuck that witch to get a good deal like this? Cause this house is big as fuck Peter.”

He gives Erica a droll stare and then it changes to a smirk. “I didn’t have to fuck her at all, dear. Just threaten her life a little. It’s amazing what a little torture can get you.” He flashes his eyes at them and the smirk looks just a little more deadly. 

Stiles has never loved him more. 

They all walk up the long driveway to the door of the massive home. It has four floors. A wrap around porch and windows cover the entire front side of it. It’s a beautiful home. When they go inside, however, they see that there’s no furniture. 

“I wanted to be able to make this house a home with my future pack. A house just filled with my things would be too impersonal. It’d feel like I was allowing you to stay here. I want it to be your house too. So I only got that necessities.” He tries to shrug it off as if it isn’t a big deal, but they can all see the beginning of a blush rise in his cheeks. 

Erica shrieks and runs around talking about color schemes and proper decorations and accessories as Boyd follows behind. Silent as usual. Stiles, however, stays behind. He wraps his arms around Peter’s back and rests his forehead between his shoulder blades. Rising on his toes, he kisses the back of his neck, taking note of the fact that Peter didn’t even stiffen at the fact that his throat is vulnerable. He just reached back and rests his hand on his boy’s hip. 

“Thank you Alpha. For everything,” Stiles whispers so that only they can hear. 

“No need to thank me darling. You’re my pack and my mate. I’ll always do my best to make you happy.”

They stand in the foyer, not moving a single inch. Unaware of the storm brewing on the horizon.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry that the chapter is so short. It's been a bad couple weeks. But it's gonna get better. Pinkie promise. Don't forget to comment!

Peter knew that picking Stiles up and taking him to New York wouldn't magically make his depression go away. He knew that the bad days wouldn't disappear. He knows what it's like to have depression because he spent years stuck in his own head with nothing but the depression and anger to keep him company.

It makes it hard to get the motivation to do anything. You feel like there’s no point to living anymore. You feel like maybe if you lay still long enough, you’ll disappear. You don’t want to get up. You don’t want to eat. You don’t want to think. You want your mind to be as empty as you feel. You don’t want to talk. You don’t want to move at all. You lay there for days without moving at all. Sometimes you sleep. Sometimes you just lay there with your eyes open staring at the ceiling. But eventually you have to get up and move on with life. So you paste a smile on your face to make everyone think that you’re fine. You talk to people even though it hurts. You let people know that it was just a temporary setback and it lasts for a few days. Maybe a week or two. And then the cycle repeats. Eventually something happens to send you right back to that bed. You cover yourself back up and go back to not wanting to exist.

So when he sees Stiles laying on the bed, breath coming out in slow puffs, eyes unblinking staring at the ceiling, he knew what was going on. So he kicks off his shoes, takes off his pants and sweater, and slides under the blanket, taking his boy into his arms as gently as possible. Carding his fingers through his hair, he starts to tell him every detail about his day. How Erica threw his favorite book in the pool when he told her that her jeans made her ass look fat. How Boyd stood aside as silent as ever, but he could tell that he took her side. How he made a sandwich for lunch, but Boyd stole it while he wasn't looking and ate it before he could get it back from him.

He knows that the only person that can get Stiles out of that bed is Stiles. But he can encourage him. He can let him know that he's there for him, no matter what happens. And he can let him know that he's been where he is. And that it doesn't get better, but it does get easier.

"It's okay darling," he whispers into his hair. "Take your time. I'll be here when you get back. There's no rush. You're safe. You're safe with me."

A single tear slides from Stiles' eye and he squeezes Peter's hand where it's curled around his stomach.

He knows.

********

Not very many people know what it's like to be trapped inside your own mind. And he doesn't mean when he was posessed, though that was hell in and of itself. He means when you trap yourself there and forget how to get out again. And you don't even know how you got there. All you know is oen minute everything is fine, and the next you're counting all the cracks in the ceiling and wondering if the mask you've been using to hide the depression looks the same.

But he has his Peter. He has his mate and that is always enough. Because Peter doesn't force him to be alright. Because Peter has been where he is and he survived. 

Because Peter loves him and, because of that, he will live. And he will keep going. And he will be happy.

He looks down at the scars on his wrist that have yet to go away. Every single scar he's ever gven to himself stands out against his tanned skin, silver reminders of his weak moments that reflect the sunlight when hit at the right angle. Peter told him that they weren't beautiful. That they were never going to be beautiful because they were always going to be reminders.

But he got to decide what they would remind him of.

He could look at them and remember why he did it. He could remember that feeling of hopelessness and loneliness and cry himelf sick again. Or he could look at them and remember that he's better now. He could think about the fact that now he has people that care about him. He could remember the fact that he survived and he's going to get better. And sometimes Stiles decides to go with the first choice. Sometimes he went with the second. And other times he just looks at the ceiling like he does today. He decides on nothing because that's what he feels. 

Sliding back under the blanket, he covers his head and closes his eyes. He doesn't sleep, but he isn't awake either. He just doesn't want to exist. Just for a little while longer.

********

Scott has no idea why he's in New York. He knows that the witch he killed sent him here when he demanded answers as to where Stiles could be. He should have made her suffer more because her tracking spell was shit.

And yet here he is in front of this random house that looks like no one's lived in it for years. Not a single heartbeat could be heard from inside and he curses himself for actually thinking he could possibly be here. There's no way his brother could be so stupid as to come here. There's nowhere for Peter to run. No forests in New York City. Erica and Boys need open space after the trauma they had just gone through and beign kept in a bank vault. Where's the open space in crowded New York City?

No. Stiles isn't here. But maybe he should stay a while.

Just to be sure.


	9. Chapter 9

If there is one thing Erica is not, it’s stupid. She knew not to go walking down the street by herself at one in the morning. Especially since there’s a crazed werewolf after her and her pack. But she’s a super strong wolf and there aren’t many things or people in the world that could take her down. 

Sadly, one of the people who couldn’t take her down got a hold of one of the things that could. 

When Scott jumped out of the darkness and blew wolfsbane powder in her face, there was not possible way of her seeing that coming. What werewolf willingly holds powdered wolfsbane in the palm of their hand?

It got into her eyes and temporarily blinded her long enough for him to knock her out. When she woke up she was tied to a chair in the basement of a warehouse that could be literally anywhere in New York City. 

“If you tell me where he is I promise not to hurt you. But if you keep it to yourself that wolfsbane will fell like kisses compared to the hell that I will put you through.”

And now she’s faced with a choice. Scott has done absolutely nothing for her or Boyd. He made them feel insignificant in the pack. He never listened to anything they had to say. When they were saved by Stiles, he didn’t even notice they had been gone. And now he wants her to give him the location of her alpha that has saved her life in more ways than she can count. 

Her answer is to spit in his face. That’s the only damage she can do at the moment. “Go hug a land mine you piece of shit.”

The answering punch he sends to her jaw would knock out a human. Probably break their face. But she is a wolf. And a strong one at that. So when he continues to beat on her until the chair she’s in is knocked over and blood begins to surround her body like a macabre halo, she doesn’t make a sound. 

She will live. She will endure. 

She just has to keep telling herself that she will be found. That this is just temporary. That her alphas will come for her. And that Scott will pay. 

That is a promise. 

********

If there is one thing Stiles is not , it’s stupid. He knew that allowing Erica to go off on her own, even if it was something as simple as a lap around the block to clear her head from the last few weeks trapped in the house, was going to be a huge mistake that he would come to regret. 

When she left, he was tempted to tell Boyd to go after her. To follow her and make sure nothing happened. But he knew that she was a strong wolf. Capable of doing whatever necessary to keep herself and the pack safe. 

So when she failed to come home he was worried. After a few hours he was anxious. And when the sun came up and no one had seen her, he went into panic mode. 

One of his betas was missing. He was a terrible alpha. How could he even hope to lead this pack and become someone that they could look up to if he couldn’t even keep them safe? How could he be so stupid as to think his old friend would just let him leave? He put everyone in danger. They will never be safe as long as he’s around. He will lead this pack to death how can they even stand to look at him?

“Darling you have to get out of your head,” Peter whispers into his ear. “There’s no way you can save her if you’re drowning in your anxiety and self doubt.”

He knows he’s right. He knows that right now he has to be an alpha. That he needs to put the old Stiles on hold so that Alpha Stiles can save the day. 

But a part of him is wondering if he isn’t too late. If Erica isn’t already dead in a ditch somewhere and Scotty isn’t lying in wait for his next victim to leave the house alone. 

Boyd is still sitting in the corner, looking out the window as if she’s going to walk up the drive with an apology for being gone so long and a smile on her face and Stiles can’t help but to wonder if that’s what he has to look forward to. 

Erica and Boyd have yet to fully mate. Sure they’ve had plenty of very loud sex that can be heard throughout the house, but they haven’t marked each other yet. Their bond hasn’t been solidified yet. If it had then they would have found her hours ago and already been home with the problem solved. 

If he were to mate with Peter, would that be him? Sitting next to the window, a phone not too far out of reach, waiting for his mate to come home so he can sleep? Wondering if today is the day he becomes mateless and has to live he rest of his life without the man he loves?

But now is not the time to ponder. Now is the time to act. He is determined to find Erica if it’s the last thing he does. Because that’s what a good alpha does. That’s what a good friend does. 

But he will need a little help. 

********

It’s been a week. That’s a week of being beaten every hour and then getting a short break so that she could heal and then get beat some more. A week of being questioned on the whereabouts of her alphas and the location of their home. 

It’s been a week since she’s had any food. Three days since her last sip of water. He wants to keep her weak so that when he releases her from the chains and the chair to...

Let’s just say he needs her to be unbound sometimes. He needs her legs free not so much her hands. 

He said that he wanted her broken. And he’s succeeded. But she is not giving up hope. She knows that her alphas will come for her. 

Even after bed hit her. Even after he’s starved her. After he broke her and made her regret being alive. 

She has still yet to make a sound. Not a single work has escaped her lips and she plans to keep it that way. 

She will live. She will endure. She will be found. This is just temporary. Her alphas will find her. And Scott will pay.


	10. Chapter 10

She wakes up submerged in a bathtub, nothing but her head visible over the bubbles. She would be grateful for them, but there is no part of her body that he hasn’t seen at this point. Soft music plays in the background and the room is dark save for a few little tea candles sprinkled throughout the room. There’s a hand in her hair and she winces, waiting for the usual yank that follows, bloody strands coming away in his hand.

But it doesn’t come. Instead, he’s washing the blood from her hair. Caressing her like an obedient little pet. And she hates that she’s relieved about it. She hates that she’s thinking that she’s done something right. 

“Why do you make me do this to you Erica? Remember when we used to be friends? When I was your alpha and you would tell me everything? And now you’re keeping secrets from me. You’re making me hurt you. Do you think I like hurting you?”

Yes, is what she thinks. “I’m sorry,” is what she says. 

He sits her up in the tub and she moves like the obedient pet she has become. There’s no use in fighting him. She’s too weak from food and water deprivation along with only being allowed to sleep for an hour at a time before she’s woken up with some kind of torture. 

“You’re a beautiful girl Erica. Too beautiful to be so loyal to people like them. Murderers. And yet you still want to remain tied to people like that? Do you think they’re better than me?”

Yes, is what she thinks. “No,” is what she says. 

“Are you going to tell me where they are now?”

She remains silent. 

He sighs as if he’s the one being tortured on a daily basis. As if he knows what it feels like to have every single inch of our body hurt. Like he knows what it’s like to not know what a body feels like when it isn’t in pain. 

“You keep making me hurt you. Why do you keep making me hurt you?”

He gets up from the ground and she makes no move to leave the tub. If she does, it will only be worse on her in the end. He grabs the radio from the counter and makes sure it’s plugged in before he drops it in the bath water. 

He doesn’t look back at her convulsing body when he leaves the room. 

********

It’s been a month. An entire month of wondering where she could be. Following up on leads that go nowhere. Wondering what the hell could be happening to her. 

Boyd has yet to leave the corner. They have to have one of hem holding him down while the other force feeds him. He still watched the drive but the hope is slowly leaving his eyes, little by little. 

Stiles can tell it’s taking a toll on Peter as well. He’s one of their alphas. He thinks of them as family. To have one kidnapped and the other unresponsive feels like the both of them are being stabbed in the heart repeatedly. 

They called Lydia after a week. After two they also called Derek. Chris Argent joined them when Allison told him that Scott had gone crazy. It’s not in his blood to allow a feral wolf to run lose on the public. 

And yet they haven’t seen a single trace of Scott. Derek told them that Isaac had left with him and they haven’t seen him either. It’s like he took Erica and then disappeared off the face of the planet. 

Everyone has stopped trying to reassure them. They haven’t told them that everything was gonna be okay. They haven’t promised to find her. They haven’t tried to make them feel better since the third week had passed without a single demand from Scott. 

Stiles goes out and makes sure he’s seen in public. He wants Scott to know that he isn’t hiding. That he’s ready, willing, and able to fight whenever the other man wants. 

And yet nothing. 

Peter goes for run after run in the woods. Trying to find a scent to follow. Trying to find where Scott could be hiding out. And it’s no use. 

Everyone thinks it’s hopeless until they find the note. 

~I know where you are. And I know the secrets you hide. We used to be family Stiles. I know everything about you. 

Meet me in the forest behind your house. You do not get to ask questions. You do not get to make any demands. Remember that I have something very precious to you in my possession. 

And what a lovely something that is. 

Sunday morning. 11 am. Don’t be late. 

Scotty~

He knows that it would be idiotic to trust that Scott will be there and that he will bring Erica with him. He knows that he won’t just hand her over quietly and for free. He knows that the other boy is going to try and kill him. 

But when he looks over at Boyd, still sitting in that corner and waiting for a mate that may never come, he knows that this is something he has to do. For the good of his pack. 

However, he refuses to be stupid about it. He shows the note to the rest of them and they all come up with a plan. A plan to get Erica back and, much to protests of the pack, to have everyone come out of it alive. Even Scott. 

But Stiles has a plan of his own. And if he has his way, there won’t even be enough left of his childhood friend to flush. 

Let the battle begin.


	11. Chapter 11

They’re nine years old. Stiles has just gotten back from visiting his mother in the hospital. Today was one of her good days. She actually recognized him this time. She didn’t know who he was to her, but she said his name and it felt like Christmas. 

That doesn’t stop the tears from soaking his pillowcase. He knows that she doesn’t have long. He knows that it could be any day now that he walks into the hospital and finds her bed empty. 

And he’s ashamed to say that he would honestly be relieved. Because maybe then the bad mom wouldn’t take over and hurt him like she usually does. 

It seems like now he sees more of the bad mom than he does the good one. 

He wipes his tears and tried his best to make himself look presentable when he hears a knock come from the door. His father hates to see him crying over something as small as a few slaps and punches when his mother is in the hospital because she doesn’t even know who she is anymore. 

But when the door opens and he sees Scotty, he allows the tears to return. Because Scotty never makes fun of him for crying. He never makes Stiles feel like his pain doesn’t matter. 

“Another bad one?” is all he asks. That’s all he needs. 

Stiles shakes his head. “She actually spoke to me today. And she didn’t call me a monster. She didn’t say I was there to kill her. She actually knew my name. I don’t think she knew I was her son, but that doesn’t really matter. She never does these days.”

While the beginning of his speech started out as cheerful, it quickly turned into sorrow. Scott has him in his arms before the first tear can fall from his face. He soaks his friend’s shirt in them and he doesn’t seem to mind. 

“You’ll always be my brother Stiles. No matter what, you’ve got me.” 

****

They’re ten and standing in a muddy cemetery over his mother’s grave. Everyone else had left two hours ago, but no one seemed to realize Stiles wasn’t with them. 

He sits on the wet ground, not caring if it ruins his suit pants. He’d been staring blankly at the place where the headstone will go and he wonders what it’ll say. 

He hopes it doesn’t say something cheesy like “Loving Daughter, Wife, and Mother”. He wants it to say something meaningful to them. Like “We’re all stories in the end. Make it a good one” from Doctor Who. Eleven was always her favorite. 

He feels a hand land on his shoulder and he stiffens at the thought that it could possibly be his father. He would kill him for ruining his suit. It was a rental. 

When he turns his head and sees Scott his body sags in relief. Scotty would never hurt him. He’s his brother in everything but blood. 

Without exchanging a single word, Scott gets him off the ground. He blows a kiss to his mother, allows one more tear to fall, wipes his face, and leaves the graveyard with the only family left that really matters to him anymore. 

He never goes back. 

****

He’s fourteen and Scott has just grown out of thinking of girls as gross. He’s currently talking to some girl named Mia and Stiles is all but forgotten in his brother’s mind. It’s not like he minds. He’s used to not being first to anyone. Honestly, he was expecting it. 

He was not expecting Scott to stop talking to him altogether when Mia decided she didn’t like Stiles because he stuck to Scott like glue. He wasn’t expecting to be so easily dropped by his brother. 

He wasn’t expecting it to hurt so badly. 

But when Mia broke things off a few months later because some other boy had caught her attention, Scott was right back by his side as if nothing had happened. 

And a few years later, when Stiles find out about a body in the woods and drags Scott with him to investigate? When Scott gets bitten by a wolf? When everything changes? 

He wasn’t expecting to still be so easily pushed aside. 

You’d think his brother would realize that without Stiles he would’ve been killed by hunters within a month of being bitten by Peter. That he would realize that Stiles has saved his life more times than he can count. 

That he would realize Stiles was ready, willing, and able to die for him if he called for it. 

After all, if you’re so easily pushed aside, it wouldn’t really matter if you disappeared entirely. Right? 

****

He’s nineteen and currently in some forest deep in the heart of the Washington wilderness. The nearest town is about thirty miles east and only consists of one grocery store, one gas station, one stop light, and about three hundred people. 

Peter and Chris are at the very top of the tree right next to him and covered in a spray that makes their scents disappear. If you didn’t know it for a fact, you’d have no clue they were there. 

Boyd, despite warnings from literally everyone, is standing right next to him. Ready to pounce as soon as a signal is given. 

Lydia is somewhere close by, ready to scream if needed with her girlfriend hidden from sight in the trees like her father with a gun and ammo in case she runs out of arrows. 

They’re not expecting a large battle. But they have to be prepared. 

Stiles is standing front and center. His fox tattoo is standing y’all enough to reach his shoulder, only connected to his body by a thin string around his wrist. Almost like a leash. It’s dark purple fur seems to hold the universe. Constellations and shooting stars constantly moving. Eyes pitch black holes. 

As expected, when Scott comes through the trees he doesn’t have Erica with him. Unexpectedly, he does have Isaac, who curls his lip in disgust at the sight of the fox at Stiles’ side. 

“Where’s Erica? We just want to grab her and go home, Scott. We don’t want any problems.” 

The boy he used to consider a brother drags a look down his body that would have made him feel sick if he still had it in him to give even a singular shit. 

“She’s where I want her to be. Unlike you. Because I would really prefer you in the ground right next to that bitch you called a mother.” 

The fox has taken a step in Scott’s direction with a menacing growl at those words. One person that Stiles will always hold in high regard is his mother. 

“Scotty don’t do this. Please. I love you, but I won’t hesitate to kill you if it means helping my pack. Just tell me where she is.” 

Tears are falling down his face. He knows that Scott won’t just give him the information. He knows that they’re going to have to find her on their own. He knows that one of them is going to die in this fight. 

And he knows it won’t be him. 

Isaac chuckles from behind him. Stiles had forgotten he was there. “You’re gonna have to go through us for that, Stiles. And you’re just a weak human. I could have your little bodyguard dead and your heart in my fist before he even hits the ground.” 

The fox snarls and strikes. It takes a second for everyone to register the fact that Isaac’s head is no longer attached to his body. 

That’s when it starts. 

Allison lets loose an arrow that strikes Scott in the back and Stiles has shifted into a giant pitch black fox before anyone has time to blink. He seems to suck in any light surrounding his body and his dark purple eyes are currently focused on the last one standing. 

“You don’t really want to kill me. I’m your brother, Stiles. Don’t you remember how close we used to be? We can get that back. Just change back and we’ll talk.” 

Scott holds out a hand, waiting for Stiles to show him some sign that he’s forgiven. That he won’t hurt him. 

In one quick motion, Stiles has bitten the hand off and Scott is on his knees howling in agony. The man and his fox circle the pathetic boy on the ground, eyes locked on any and all weaknesses, darting in and raking claws down his face, arms, legs, anywhere they can reach. 

No one comes to his rescue. 

It’s over when his fox bites Scott’s head off. 

And swallows it. 

When Stiles comes back to himself, he’s kneeling next to Scott’s body. His body is shaking with sobs. He feels like his body is coming apart at the seams and the only thing keeping him from unraveling are Peter’s arms around him. 

However, he’s not crying because his brother is dead. He knew that he would have to die. Scott hasn’t been the same in years. 

He crying because he should care. He should give a fuck about the fact that his once closest friend is laying on the ground. That he toyed with him before allowing his fox to kill him. That his fox ate his fucking head. 

Said fox is laying curled around them both, providing warmth and comfort to their master until they are no longer needed. 

Boyd shifts where he is standing with everyone else, bringing their attention to him and the fact that they still have to find Erica. 

Stiles throws out a hand and Scott’s body is now covered in bright purple flames. One more look and Isaac joins him. They stay until the bodies are gone. Stiles says a small prayer that they will finally find peace. And they leave. 

They’re not done yet.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay this is my first fic so I'm sorry if it isn't the best written. Also, I want to kinda make these characters my own. So if they're out of character then I did that on purpose. Please comment! I love those!


End file.
